Tsinghua SIGS Global Summer School Experience

Let me be honest: when I first discovered this program, I wondered if it was a scam. The website didn’t look particularly professional, and the offer sounded too good to be true—free food and accommodation, with no tuition, at one of the world’s most renowned universities for computer science? I was skeptical. But since the program content seemed interesting and there was no application fee, I decided to apply anyway. A few months later, I received the confirmation—I was accepted into the program.

What is Tsinghua SIGS?

Tsinghua SIGS is a research and graduate institution of Tsinghua University, established in 2001 as a joint venture between Tsinghua University and the city of Shenzhen. During my stay, and through conversations with professors and students, I observed two major differences that set Tsinghua SIGS apart from other universities:

1. Research Orientation: Tsinghua SIGS is highly research-focused. Unlike many master’s programs, such as the one at my home university, which primarily consists of coursework, Tsinghua SIGS places a strong emphasis on research. Students take only a few courses, with a significant portion of their studies dedicated to research conducted in close collaboration with professors.
2. Industry Collaboration: Shenzhen, often referred to as the Silicon Valley of China, hosts a large portion of the country’s high-tech firms. As a result, Tsinghua SIGS has numerous collaborations with these companies. It is quite common for students to write their thesis externally at a company in Shenzhen.

What's the summer school about?

Because Tsinghua SIGS is a relatively new institution, it is not as well-known among international students as its parent university. To attract more high-quality international students, they decided to go all-in by significantly increasing the number of seats in this year's annual Global Summer School (GSS) and making it completely free. The ultimate goal is to showcase the research institute, its faculties, the industry in Shenzhen, and to convince participants - bachelor and master students of international origin - to continue their studies there.

To achieve this, the 110 students were divided into the seven faculties of Tsinghua SIGS that they applied to. As a computer science student, I joined the Data & Information Institute, the largest institute, where half of the students are. During the summer school, we alternated between participating in events with all participants, such as cultural activities, and faculty-specific events, such as company visits and lectures.

Here’s the schedule in case you’re interested.

Since there was so much to do, let me tell you about my favorite activities:

Meituan (美团) company visit

If you're not from China, you may have never heard of this company, valued at 81 billion USD as of August 2024. Explaining its full functionality is difficult, but you can think of it as a combination of DoorDash, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor. It’s used for convenience delivery and for purchasing, booking and reviewing retail services, such as hotels or restaurants.

During the summer school, we got to visit their Shenzhen offices. There, we were able to get an overview of Meituan's history, their company spirit, and see some of their products. Below is a picture of a friend and me wearing their delivery jackets on top of one of their rental bikes.

The coolest part, however, was after the company introduction. We went to a nearby mall and up to its roof, where we got to see their drone delivery system, which they’ve been working on since 2017. It works like this: For restaurants in specific shopping malls, instead of a driver picking up the food at the restaurant and delivering it to the customer, Meituan staff brings the food to the top of the mall. On the roof, there’s a fleet of drones ready to send out the food. After attaching the food to the drone, which only takes seconds, the drone delivers it to designated pick-up spots with special pick-up machines. The customer is then notified about the arrival and can pick up the food.

Group presentation

First, each group would get to choose one of four topics. We had a week to prepare the presentation in our free time, plus an additional morning for final touches. Then, four professors, along with the students, would review the presentations and "award" one group the title of best presentation. By that time, I had grown close to a new friend, Maxim, and we decided to take on the challenge with the goal of winning. We believed that a smaller, more flexible, and like-minded team would be more effective than a large, less cohesive one, even if it meant more work for the two of us. So, we chose the topic "Empowering Smart Logistics and Intelligent Transportation with Emerging Technologies."

In my previous exchange year leading up to the camp, I had rarely participated in competitive events, and I missed the thrill of a challenge. So, when I met a like-minded person, that motivation reignited.

On the day of the presentation, we felt really confident. We had spent significantly more time preparing than the other groups, and while we knew there were areas for improvement, we believed our presentation had a good chance of winning over the professors. Our unique angle was connecting our presentation to the experiences we’ve had from lectures and company visits, like proposing the application of Meituan’s drone delivery system for quick in-campus deliveries at Tsinghua.

However, we ended up placing third out of four presentations. I think the reason for this, despite our efforts, was that we lacked technical depth. While we focused on creating high-level ideas and use cases, other groups went into technical details with specific techniques. It was disappointing, of course, but the process was so enjoyable that it still felt like a great experience.

In the end, we did get a happy ending though. After the review, a professor and a fellow student, Arslan—who has incredibly impressive technical knowledge for his age—told us personally that they really liked our presentation. Hearing that made me see our presentation as a complete success after all.

The people

It all begins with the organizers, who were deeply involved in the process. Despite the challenge of planning and organizing everything for so many students, they still found time to chat with us, listen to our suggestions, and consider our feedback. A special shoutout goes to Andy and Alex, two volunteers from Tsinghua SIGS, who did an amazing job taking care of all of us in the iDI faculty.

The academic staff was also fantastic, they delivered the lectures with genuine enthusiasm. Rather than dismissing my "stupid" questions—questions that probably seemed obvious to them—they took the time to answer them in great detail. I was also pleasantly surprised by the flat hierarchy between students and professors here. For instance, after one lecture, I found myself chatting about gaming with Professor Dong Kaichen, who is featured in MIT's top 35 innovators under 35.

Lastly, I have to mention my fellow participants, who were an incredibly diverse group with fascinating stories and varied backgrounds. One classmate had more than 10 years of work experience in multiple countries, while another was already working as a senior software engineer with a full bachelor's degree—despite being the same age as I. It was a humbling experience, but at the end of the day, talking with so many interesting people was absolutely fascinating, and it allowed me to learn from their experiences. Among the friendships I formed, I'd particularly like to highlight those with Maxim, a fellow German student from Munich, and the two volunteers, Andy and Alex, with whom I spent a lot of time. It was great meeting you all.

Conclusion

Attending this summer school was a great decision. Not only did I gain a better perspective on Tsinghua SIGS and develop a deeper understanding of the Shenzhen and Chinese spirit, but I also met incredibly interesting and inspiring people who made these 10 days an experience I will likely never forget.